It seems playing one of the most hated characters on TV was too much for Jack Gleeson, as the actor revealed that being in Game of Thrones caused him to lose his passion for acting.
The Irish actor played the villainous King Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series, and first appeared as the villainous heir to the throne back in 2011.
Despite being in one of the biggest TV shows in the world, Gleeson admitted that the experience made him less ‘passionate’ about acting as it became his full-time career.
Gleeson would eventually speak about his decision to leave acting during a talk at University College Dublin, after he finished filming on the HBO fantasy epic.
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“It really come down to just not deriving as much enjoyment as I did from acting as I used to,” he told students, adding that he’d begun acting as a child for fun.
While he did land his dream job, Gleeson found the reality to be very different.
“I started acting when I was eight and really really loved it, you know. All I wanted to be was an actor when I grew up,” he said, referring to his earlier role in 2005’s Batman Begins with Christian Bale and another dragon themed fantasy, Reign of Fire alongside Gerard Butler.
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He admitted: “For some reason, I don’t know it became a bit kind of mechanical and less kind of passionate when I started Game of Thrones."
Having started the show at just 19, the actor began to lose his enthusiasm for the series as he grew up.
However, he insisted it had nothing to with how Game of Thrones was filmed.
“I don’t think it’s got anything to do with the way they film it,” he added, saying: “I think when it became less of a recreation and more of a profession, it kind of put more pressure on the acting itself and made it a tiny bit less enjoyable.”
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After his character was brutally killed off during his own wedding, Gleeson took a break from acting and even went on to have an academic career.
Though he’s not announced he’s returned to acting, the Irish actor has starred in a few projects since leaving the show in series four.
He’s even set to appear alongside Taken’s Liam Neeson and Bafta award winning actress Kerry Condon, in the upcoming thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners.
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Whatever he decides to do next, we are happy to have Jack Gleeson back on our screens.
Topics: Game of Thrones, Film and TV, Celebrity
Katherine Sidnell